Rubicon Trail v3.0
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:59 pm
There will be more added to this run report in the coming days, but I wanted to share a couple quick pics and some thoughts after pouring myself out of the JL with the final tally being just shy of 2,700 miles and 62 hours of total driving time...
First and perhaps foremost, I want to thank my wonderful wife and the great group of friends that shared this experience with me. I have been fortunate enough to run the Rubicon three times now, and each time has been an experience I won't forget:
Second, while I have ownt no less than four Jeeps that bear the namesake, and as I just mentioned have run the trail three times now, yet this was the first time I actually got to play Rubicon on the Rubicon!! Yay!!
While on the topic of the aforementioned JL Rubicon, there are a couple of key things that stood out for me during the course of this trip. The first is the extreme level of refinement of the JL platform over the outgoing JK, which was a huge step in civility over the TJ. It simply amazes me how much nicer to drive and generally be in that these things are getting, considering what they are (still) capable of. Another big stand out for me was the shear size: the JL is big. Bigger than the JK in every way, and of particular note would be width. Not just body width, but axle width and corresponding track width. In stock form, the JL Rubicon axles are within 1/2" of what is considered "full width", and when you slap on some 12.5 wide tires on aftermarket rims, or in my case stock rims with wheel spacers, it makes an already wide load extremely wide. This was problematic for me several times on the trail, admittedly mostly because I simply wasn't used to it, but after scraping and clawing my way over a few obstacles only to remember doing the same obstacle with relative ease in a decidedly narrower XJ and LJ, it makes me wonder if maybe the Jeep guys didn't miss the mark a bit on this particular statistic. Similarly, the final recurring theme was breakover, or lack thereof. The JLU wheelbase is longer than the JKU, and it showed several times on the trail with myself and Jim scrapping horrifically on several obstacles that were clean as whistle for the others. Combine that with our relatively low lift height of only 2.5", and it was a recipe for leaving the most chassis paint on the trail out of any rig that I have ever run on any trail, period.
Rubicon Springs. It's THE place to setup camp, and the $15 fee is pittance for what you get. Seriously, it's not even an option, it's mandatory:
And finally, the ARB fridge... Wow... It performed flawlessly all week long, in everything from 40's at night on the trail to 100+ in the SoCal desert, and we used it for a true second fridge with 11(!!) of us sharing a rental house in La Jolla. I will truly struggle to go back to dealing with ice for even a day trip. In my best Ferris Bueller: "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
For now, I'm off to bed for some much needed R&R from this vacation. Hopefully the others that were on the trip will chime in, and I will generate an actual run report soon.
First and perhaps foremost, I want to thank my wonderful wife and the great group of friends that shared this experience with me. I have been fortunate enough to run the Rubicon three times now, and each time has been an experience I won't forget:
Second, while I have ownt no less than four Jeeps that bear the namesake, and as I just mentioned have run the trail three times now, yet this was the first time I actually got to play Rubicon on the Rubicon!! Yay!!
While on the topic of the aforementioned JL Rubicon, there are a couple of key things that stood out for me during the course of this trip. The first is the extreme level of refinement of the JL platform over the outgoing JK, which was a huge step in civility over the TJ. It simply amazes me how much nicer to drive and generally be in that these things are getting, considering what they are (still) capable of. Another big stand out for me was the shear size: the JL is big. Bigger than the JK in every way, and of particular note would be width. Not just body width, but axle width and corresponding track width. In stock form, the JL Rubicon axles are within 1/2" of what is considered "full width", and when you slap on some 12.5 wide tires on aftermarket rims, or in my case stock rims with wheel spacers, it makes an already wide load extremely wide. This was problematic for me several times on the trail, admittedly mostly because I simply wasn't used to it, but after scraping and clawing my way over a few obstacles only to remember doing the same obstacle with relative ease in a decidedly narrower XJ and LJ, it makes me wonder if maybe the Jeep guys didn't miss the mark a bit on this particular statistic. Similarly, the final recurring theme was breakover, or lack thereof. The JLU wheelbase is longer than the JKU, and it showed several times on the trail with myself and Jim scrapping horrifically on several obstacles that were clean as whistle for the others. Combine that with our relatively low lift height of only 2.5", and it was a recipe for leaving the most chassis paint on the trail out of any rig that I have ever run on any trail, period.
Rubicon Springs. It's THE place to setup camp, and the $15 fee is pittance for what you get. Seriously, it's not even an option, it's mandatory:
And finally, the ARB fridge... Wow... It performed flawlessly all week long, in everything from 40's at night on the trail to 100+ in the SoCal desert, and we used it for a true second fridge with 11(!!) of us sharing a rental house in La Jolla. I will truly struggle to go back to dealing with ice for even a day trip. In my best Ferris Bueller: "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
For now, I'm off to bed for some much needed R&R from this vacation. Hopefully the others that were on the trip will chime in, and I will generate an actual run report soon.